Power Structures: A Story from Cyber Battalion
by Average J0e
Summary: Without the Allspark, Cybertron is dying. Optimus Prime and Megatron have disappeared. The Decepticons control most of the planet, and the Autobots have formed an underground resistance movement. When Shockwave disappears, chaos ensues on both sides. Takes place before Cyber Battalion. G1
1. Missing in Action

**Author's Note: This is a story that ties into my main Transformers fanfic, Cyber Battalion. The reason that this is a seperate story is because this story is going to be a bit long, and it is a flashback. I didn't want to interrupt the pace of Cyber Battalion with a long flashback, so I decided to make this a seperate story entirely that will be written concurrently with Cyber Battalion. Unlike CB, this story doesn't have a consistent upload schedule, so chapters will have to be uploaded whenever I can. Without further ado, let's roll out!**

 **Power Structures, Part 1: Missing in Action**

"He's gone!" Ramjet yelled as he examined the empty command center. Not a single bot was in there. Shockwave would normally be in here, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Ramjet's alt mode was a cybertronic jet that was identical to other seekers, but he had some modifications that differentiated himself from other seekers. He wore a cone shaped helmet. He was colored black and white and red.

"What do you mean gone?" asked Dirge as he followed behind Ramjet. Dirge had the same mold as Ramjet, and wore the same shaped helmet, but he was colored blue and black and gold.

"I mean exactly what I said. Shockwave's gone! He's just disappeared. I had our seekers check literally every building in Kaon. They triple checked three times, and they've assured me that hey can't find him anywhere!" Ramjet exclaimed.

"Have you checked his laboratory?" Dirge asked. Ramjet stopped and glared at his fellow seeker. "Shockwave's lab? Hah! As if Shockwave would allow us into his private stomping ground!" Ramjet said with a deadpan scowl.

"Just ask Knock Out for the access codes." Dirge said. Knock Out was Shockwave's personal assistant. Knockout was a micromaster, meaning he was smaller than most other Transformers, but he was much more fuel efficient.

"Ask Knockout?" Dirge, please! We've got a better chance at teaching Misfire to hit a target that's standing still." Ramjet exclaimed.

"Let me talk to him." Dirge said. Dirge was a very scary bot. His red beady eyes pierced the hearts of those who were petrified by his gaze. His faceplate resembled that of an endoskeleton, giving other bots an uneasy feeling when they looked at him. Dirge was so scary that he even scared himself. Despite that, he knew how to talk to people, a trait which many Decepticons lacked.

Dirge and Ramjet made their way to Knock Out's office. They knocked on the door. "Come in." said a smooth voice from behind the door. Ramjet and Dirge walked forward and the door slid open. In the room was a desk, and on the table were data pads with medical records on them. Knock Out was the Decepticon's surgeon general. He was a good doctor, but no one trusted him.

Knock Out's alt mode was a cybertronic back hoe truck. He had a giant wheel on each of his shoulders. He had a backhoe attached to his backside. He was colored crimson, and his paint job was perfect. "What do you two want?" Knock Out asked.

"We need the access codes to Shockwave's lab, now!" Ramjet said, slamming his hand onto he desk. Knock Out frowned.

"Oh please, as if I'd hand access codes to Shockwave's lab to a couple of bottom rung air fighters." Knock Out said. Ramjet growler and was about to punch Knock Out in his smug, sexy face, but Dirge stopped him.

"No, wait!" Dirge exclaimed. He shoved Ramjet aside. "Look, Shockwave's gone missing. We need to find out where he went. The state of the Empire depends on it, and I know a handsome, good looking bot such as yourself could help us with that." Dirge said.

Knock Out smiled. He just loved it when others played to his ego. Knock Out did look pretty by Cybertronian standards. However his physical appearance gave him an inflated sense of himself. He believes he's the hottest thing on wheels. "Well when you put it like that. . . sure." Knock Out replied. "Always happy to help someone who can't help but to gush at my chiseled good looks."

Ramjet wanted to pummel the ever loving scrap out of Knock Out. He **HATED** Knock Out with a burning passion, but he suppressed the urge to have his fist take Knock Out's face on a date.

Knock Out opened a drawer and handed Dirge a silver slab with the access code engraved on it. "Make sure you bring it back." Knock Out said. Dirge nodded in acknowledgement. He and Ramjet proceeded out the door and walked down the hallway to the monorail. Shockwave's lab was located in the neighboring city of Tarn. Tarn was the city state that Megatron came from and was the second of the first five city states to fall to Megatron.

Of course, they could always fly, but that would cost a lot of fuel that neither of them were willing to waste. The ride on the monorail was about a cycle. They arrived in Tarn, and traveled to Tarn's capital building of Destron. Destron meant Deception Cybertron when translated from Old Cybertronian, a form of language that was around the time of the ancient Maximals and ancient Predacons. They entered the palace, and took an elevator all the way down to Shockwave's lab. They walked up to the door, and entered in the access code that was on the slab into a key pad next to the door. They walked in and inspected the place.

The lab had CR chambers that housed protoforms. There was lab equipment scattered about. Dirge noticed that there was a glowing monitor. On the monitor was a set of galactic coordinates. Dirge wondered what all of this meant. Unfortunately, Dirge wasn't smart when it came to math or science, so it's not like he could access any of Shockwave's files. He did however notice a file that was titled "Project: Regenesis." Dirge didn't know what that meant, and honestly didn't want to find out. They searched the entire lab and found no trace of Shockwave.

"Have you found anything?" Ramjet asked.

"I'm afraid not. He's gone and he left no trace." Dirge responded. "If Shockwave's gone, we're then his second in command will have to take charge in his absence." Dirge said.

"And who is his second in command?" Ramjet asked while crossing his arms.

"Knock Out." Dirge replied.

"Fantastic!" Ramjet exclaimed. Not only was Shockwave missing, but that pretty bot Knockout had to be his replacement. "For booting up cold!" Ramjet shouted as he stomped out of the laboratory. Dirge was indifferent towards this turn of events. All he cared about, was surviving..

 _Elsewhere_

It was cold outside the boarders of Iacon. It was cold and quiet. The orange walls of the city and the plexi glass dome that protected it could be seen from miles away. The silent hums of the generator could be heard from Power Station Beta. Every so often, bots would come out here to see if the power stations had produced any energon. Because the planet lacked natural resources, the stations would produce little to no energon, however this time the Autobots were lucky. The stations produced a good amount of energon, which was good for the Autobots. Any amount of fuel was welcome.

A couple of Autobots were at the power station, stacking up the energon cubes that were manufactured at the there. A tall, gray, black and red Autobot named Sludge had finished stacking the last of the energon cubes. He hopped on top of them, and grabbed a can of Kremzeek Energy Drink. He opened the can and started drinking. Another Autobot came out to the shipping dock. She was much smaller than Sludge, and had a similar color scheme to him.

"You're finished? Good, it's about time. Stacking energon is soo boring!" Slash griped. "Toss me a can, will ya?" Sludge grabbed another can of the drink and tossed it to Slash. She opened the can and started drinking. She gulped down the entire drink, crushed the can with her hands and tossed it. She and the rest of the Dynobots were heavy drinkers. They could down entire vats of engex, and still have room for more. The rest of the Dynobots came out of the shipping dock. Grimlock, Slug, Snarl, Swoop. They all had kibble that resembled reptilian beasts, which was unusual for most Transformers.

"Ugh. Work was a killer." Snarl said. Snarl didn't like doing grunt work. He was much more happier on the front lines. Fighting seemed to be the only thing he really enjoyed.

"Nothing like a hard day's work to put some dents in your chassis huh, Snarl?" Swoop said while slugging Snarl in the arm. Swoop was a much more chipper and affable bot. He got along with others quite well. Snarl just scowled like he usually did.

"We Dynobots do good work today." Grimlock said in his deep and booming voice. "Work pay off. Autobot's thank Dynobots for Dynobot's contribution." Grimlock had a weird way of speaking. His voice module had suffered damage before the war, so he spoke in a sort of 'caveman speak'.

"Amen to that, brother!" Slash said. She grabbed a few cans and handed them to her comrades. They downed their drinks pretty quickly. Swoop went back inside, collected a large tube filled with engex, and brought it back to the shipping dock. The Dynobots spent the night laughing, drinking, singing ,telling old war stories, playing games. That's the thing that the Dynobot's valued most. Freedom. They weren't bound to the same rules that the Autobots were. They were wild vagabonds who craved adventure and battle. If they could, they'd leave the empty and could world of Cybertron, and leave to explore the galaxy. They were a rowdy bunch. They were quiet for the rest of the night, blissfully unaware for what was about to happen to them.

Up above, a shuttle was flying over them. The pilot of the shuttle put the craft on autopilot, and went to the door. He opened it, looked down at Power Station Beta, and took aim, and proceeded opened fire. A purple laser beam struck down, and hit the energon cubes, creating a massive explosion that knocked the Dynobots awake. Energon was extremely volatile, so the chain reaction caused the station to go up in flames. Grimlock looked around him as the power station burned. Thick clouds of smoke were flown into the air. "Swoop! Snarl! Slug! Sludge! Slash!" Grimlock called out for his team. He ran through the fire and brimstone, and found Swoop, who was covering his face with his arm.

"Swoop, me need you to fly in air, and find out who shot us!" Grimlock ordered. Swoop nodded, and transformed into a cybertronic pteranodon. He flew into the air, past the fire and smoke. He flew up, and saw the shuttle, leaving the atmosphere. Swoop flew towards it, and activated his propulsion system to accelerate faster towards the shuttle. He almost reached it and transformed. He reached behind him, grabbed a tracking device and put it on the ship. He was about to find a way inside, but the figure who was piloting the ship peaked out of the door and fired a purple laser at Swoop, sending the bot hurling towards the surface below.

Swoop barely caught a glimpse of the figure, but what stood out to him the most was a single, yellow glowing eye, that was filled with no hate, no love, no emotion. Swoop was falling fast. As the smoke cleared, Slug saw him. Slug ran and caught Swoop before he hit the ground. He set Swoop down on the ground, and looked around for the rest of the Dynobots. Grimlock, Snarl, Slash and Sludge ran up to them.

"What the hell was that?" asked Slash.

"I don't know!" Slug snapped. Grimlock approached Swoop.

"Swoop, did you see who it was?" Grimlock asked.

Swoop groaned in pain. He slowly got up. "No, I barely saw them before they shot me down!" Swoop explained. He looked at the destroyed remains of the power station. "The energon! It's gone! All of it, gone!" Swoop exclaimed. Grimlock clenched his fist and growled.

"Whoever him is, him pay for what he did. No one attack Dynobots and get away with it. Dynobots, we leave. Go to Autobot City, and tell Ultra Magnus." Grimlock bellowed. The other Dynobots nodded. They all transformed into cybertronic dinosaurs. They marched right out of the courtyard, and headed to Iacon.


	2. Equal Measures

**Power Structures Part 2: Equal Measures**

It was uncommon to see Ultra Magnus without his armor on. He was mostly seen wearing it during the day, and almost never took it off. The only time he did, was when he was praying at the Primal Basilica. He usually did this at night, so no one would see him without his armor. When not wearing his armor, he went by his forge name, Minimus of the House of Ambus, or 'Minimus Ambus" for short. Minimus was a mini-con who was white and green and had a mustache that was composed of some wires. He transformed into a cybertronic pick up truck. He was kneeling down in the halls of the basilica with his hands together, praying. Sitting across from him was Emirate Xaaron.

Xaaron was the leader of the Autobot Resistance, and he was the Autobot Minister of Justice. Xaaron was a monoformer, meaning he had no alt mode. Xaaron didn't believe in the twelve Primes, he instead believed in the Guiding Hand and the Knights of Cybertron. As such, to reject one of the Primes, Amalgamous, he had his transformation cog surgically removed. Xaaron was yellow and silver, and was praying just like Minimus. The Primal Basilica were sacred grounds that millions of Transformers used to go to for prayer, and to mourn the dead. The Basilica had some of the finest architecture that Cybertron had ever seen. However, when the Autobots began to focus more on military strength, less and less people started coming here. Nowadays, bots only came here if they wanted space or alone time.

They both were knelt down next to a pool filled with innermost energon, the energon that is closest to the spark chamber. Innermost Energon was removed from the body, and placed inside of small beakers that were set down next coffins. It was tradition to do this for someone you love when they died. This pool symbolized the tears that Transformers had shed when the people they cared about died. Minimus and Xaaron finished their prayers and stood up to face each other.

"Welp, time to head back to Autobot City. Let's hope it hasn't been attacked while we were gone." Minimus said.

"Indeed" replied Xaaron.

Minmus pressed a button on his arm, opening a hatch on the Magnus armor's torso. He hopped inside, and several clamps secured him in place. The hatch closed, transforming him back into Ultra Magnus. He picked up a giant hammer that sat a few feet from the pool. This was the Magnus Hammer. It was a weapon that was gifted to Delta Magnus, a member of the Primal Vanguard, by the House of Ambus. It was passed down to Ultra Magnus when Delta Magnus died during the war. They were about to leave the basilica, but a small, blue and white robot ran up to them.

"Ultra Magnus, sir!" the little bot said, while saluting. Ultra Magnus towered over him, making the bot feel insignificant by comparison.

"At ease, Tailgate." Ultra Magnus replied. "What seems to be the problem?

"Grimlock, sir. He showed up at HQ, and he said he wants to talk to you. He's angrier than usual." Tailgate replied, shivering.

"Weren't Grimlock and the Dynobots gathering energon from Power Station Beta?" Xaaron asked while walking up to Ultra Magnus.

"That's what I thought too, but this wouldn't be the first time that Grimlock has deserted his post." Ultra Magnus snarled. "Let's head back to the city." mechanical whirs filled the halls as Ultra Magnus transformed into a cybertronic car carrier. Tailgate transformed into a small cybertronic car, while Xaaron grabbed onto Magnus' backside. They drove out of the basilica, and drove onto a large skyhighway.

The reason Tailgate hadn't called Magnus earlier was because using radio wave transmissions was too risky. The Decepticons had top notch communication specialists, and the Autobots couldn't risk having a Decepti-creep listening in on one of their conversations. The ride back to Autobot City was quiet. It was relatively peaceful at nighttime. The moon glowed like a light bulb in a dark room, and the stars lit up the infinite sea of darkness. Not a single creature was stirring. They passed by dilapidated buildings, Once mighty sky scrappers that had grew old and withered. The air was filled with the scent of burning metal and scorched earth.

After about a cycle, they arrived at the city. Iacon was a huge city state that was surrounded by a large orange dome. The dome was like a futuristic version of the Texas Stadium. The dome was constructed out of steel grids, and there was a large plexiglass dome on the top. They drove up to the gates. A scanner ejected from one of the walls, and scanned the incoming Autobots. It recognized them, and the gates to Iacon opened.

Iacon was once a proud city state. It was Cybertron's crown jewel. Despite the war between the Autobots and Decepticons, Iacon was in better condition than most other city states. It was one of the last Autobot controlled city states. In the heart of Iacon was the Autobot's headqaurters. It was a series of tall white buildings with a giant Autobot insignia plastered on the front of one of the buildings. Because Iacon was controlled by Autobots, it earned itself the name "Autobot City".

The three drove onto a long black bridge that lead to the city's hanger bay. They drove inside, and transformed. Inside the hanger, multiple Autobots were handling equipment, repairing damaged shuttles and hauling cargo. Some of them saluted Ultra Magnus. Magnus was the Autobot City Commander, and without Optimus Prime he was pretty much in charge. In fact, Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime are brothers. Brothers in armor to be precise. They were both trained by the warrior sage, Alpha Trion.

Magnus, Xaaron and Tailgate went to the elevator, and traveled to the highest floor, which was the command center. As the door slid open, Magnus saw the tall, red, gold and silver Dynobots standing in the command center, waiting to address him.

"Magnus, we need to talk. Me take it Tailgate give you message?" Grimlock asked with his arms crossed.

"He did." Magnus replied "What's the matter?"

"Power Station Beta was destroyed." Grimlock muttered.

Ultra Magnus was taken aback, and his jaw hung open. "What?!" He said in shock. He almost dropped his hammer, but he kept a tight grip on it.

"Me know. Me Grimlock say we catch them and put some hurt on em'." Grimlock growled.

For once, Ultra Magnus agreed with Grimlock. Power Station Beta was essential to the Autobot economy. Its destruction, meant that the Autobots may not have another shipment of energon for deca-cycles. However, Magnus remained calm.

"I understand your desire for revenge Grimlock, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Magnus ordered.

"WHAT?!" Grimlock shouted. Grimlock wore a facemask and a visor, but Ultra Magnus could tell that Grimlock was pissed. The snarling Dynobot barred his teeth, which were barely visible behind his facemask.

"Grimlock, let's approach the situation logically." Magnus said. "If we go after the attacker, he just might have a reason to alert the Decepticons to our presence. Right now, both sides have been relatively inactive, and I hope to keep it that way. If we strike, it's likely that the Decepticons will strike as well."

"So, you tell me to sit around like caged turbofox and do nothing about it?!" Grimlock roared. "Well me can't, me won't! Me men nearly died in that explosion! I bet if this was your men, you'd want to do the same!" Grimlock said pointing his finger at Magnus.

Magnus tightened his grip around his hammer, and stopped himself from just outright whacking Grimlock. "Grimlock, now's not the time to argue. We are not going after the attacker. We don't even know where the attacker is." Magnus said.

"We do." Grimlock replied. He gestured to Swoop who held up a tracking device. "Swoop put tracker on attacker ship. They almost off world by now. If we take space shuttle, we can make it." Grimlock said.

"We still can't do that, Grimlock. Those shuttles cost a lot of energon that we aren't willing to send!" Magnus explained.

"So are you suggesting that we give up?! Grimlock shouted, his eyes a fiery red, and steam puffing out of his face mask.

"I'm not suggesting anything." Magnus barked. "I'm giving you an order. Let it go, Grimlock. I'll contact Elita-One and her team to see if she can help us find more energon. In the meantime, I suggest you calm yourself." Magnus ordered. Grimlock growled and stormed out of the command center, walking past Xaaron, and a frightened Tailgate. The rest of the Dynobots stormed out as well. Magnus sighed and gently face palmed. "Primus, help us all!" He said under his breath.

"I see things are going well, with the Dynobots." said a feminine voice. Ultra Magnus turned his head and saw Elita-One standing in the door way. Elita-One was taller than Xaaron, but shorter than Magnus. She was pink and red, and she had the kibble of a cybertronic jet.

"Elita-One, I wasn't aware of your presence." Magnus said. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I saw five angry Dynobots march out of the commander center, so I came inside to make sure nothing was destroyed." She was quite soft spoken. "The other reason why I'm here is to let you know that my team have learned when the Decepticons receive their next shipment of energon. If we are quick we can get some of it."

"You have full authorization, Elita-One." Magnus said. Elita nodded and turned to the door. She was about to leave, but she stopped. "Oh, and Magnus..." She began "...make sure you keep an eye on the Dynobots. I fear they will do something reckless." She walked out of the command center, leaving Magnus, Tailgate, and Xaaron alone.

The Dynobots had went to Maccadam's Old Oil House to blow off some steam. Maccadam's Old Oil House was located in sub level six, just east of the High Council Pavilions. in Iacon. The bar welcomed anyone in. Autobots, neutralists, empties, mini-cons. There were only two rules. Rule number 1: No guns, no swords, no briefcases. Rule Number 2: If you can pay, you can stay.

The owner of the bar was Maccadam. Maccadam was old and groggy. He used to be a chemist, and because of that it is rumored that he was a follower of Alchemist Prime. He transformed into a pick up truck, and was colored an aged aquamarine. Like Minimus, he had a goatee composed of many wires.

The Dinbots sat in a booth by themselves, getting drunk and musing about their current predicament.

"Waitress, get us more drinks!" Slug bellowed as he let out a large belch. A small Autobot named Lickety-Split came over to the Dynobot's table with more drinks. She quickly skated off. She didn't want to have to spend anymore time around the Dynobots. Slash, Slug, Swoop and Sludge were drunk out of their brain modules. They were giggling and coming up with new swear words. Grimlock and Snarl had their fuel intake moderation chips on, so they would stay sober.

"Ultra Magnus wants to sit around and do nothing. Pfft. Typical Autobots." Snarl griped as he gulped down half of his drink. "So what are we gonna do now, Grimlock?" Snarl asked.

"Well we ain't gonna sit around, me can tell you that!" Grimlock said. Grimlock had removed his face plate, revealing his hideously disfigured face, and his monstrously large teeth. "Me got a plan, but it risky. Me doing it tonight. With or without your help." Grimlock said.

"Well you can count me in." Snarl replied. Snarl finished the last of his drink. Grimlock finished the last of his. Grimlock stood up, and gestured for the rest of the Dynobots to do the same.

"C'mon. We leave." Grimlock ordered. The Dynobots walked out and saw a few empties lying on the ground in front of the door. They walked back to their habitation suites.

Later that night, Grimlock was walking down the halls of Autobot City. No one was there. Everyone else was recharging. Grimlock walked down to the security officer, peaked in. He saw Trailbreaker, watching the cameras. Trailbreaker was colored black and red, and he had a mini turret attached to his backside. Grimlock snuck up behind Trailbreaker, trying to be as discreet as possible. He then struck one of Trailbreaker's pressure points on his neck with his index and middle finger, causing Trailbreaker to become unconscious and fall over. Grimlock pressed a button on the console that turned off the security cameras. He made a mad dash for the hanger bay. No one was in there. He saw a lone shuttle, and was about to steal it, but a voice called out to him.

"What do you think your doing?" The voice asked. Grimlock turned his head, and was relieved to see the rest of the Dynobots were standing in the doorway. "You aren't thinking about taking off without us, are you?" Swoop asked.

"As if! It you and me. Just like always!" Grimlock said, trying to keep quiet so he wouldn't alert anyone to his presence. The Dinobots snuck onboard the shuttle. They activated it, and flew out of the hanger, ready to chase down their mystery attacker.


	3. Lust for Power

**Power Structures Part 3: Lust for Power**

The palace of Darkmount stood tall and loomed over the city of Polyhex. The palace was surrounded by four steel towers that were connected by walls that were armed with beam lasers, mortar cannons, missile launchers, auto cannons and laser guns. On the face of one of the walls was a gate with two guard towers in the front. There, multiple security guards stood in place. Inside the walls was the large palace that acted as the city state's capital. On the front was a giant Decepticon insignia. The path that lead to the palace was covered in pools of molten slag. This was Darkmount Pass.

A small mini-con was darting through the pass, evading geysers that spewed magma, and the many pools of slag. The thick, mechanical foliage whipped at his face, and the slag burned his metal skin. He reached the bridge that lead to the front gate. The guards saw him, and they pressed a button, creating a bridge over the slag filled moat. The messenger walked through the gates and ran into the palace.

Inside the palace's thrown room sat Lord High Governor Straxus. Straxus' head, torso and legs were colored a dark navy blue. His arms were colored red and gray. He had yellow optics. He had no mouth, only wires were his mouth should be. There were multiple fembots pleasuring Lord Straxus as he stared out the window and looked at the stars. Soon, the messenger barged in, and the Decepticon lord turned his optics to meet his servant.

"L-lord High G-G-Governor, Knock Out has s-s-sent a message!" the messenger stuttered. He was shaking rapidly, anxiously waiting for his masters response.

"Well? **OUT WITH IT THEN!"** Straxus roared. Straxus had a deep, loud and booming voice. He was so loud, that it prompted to fembots who were caressing him to cover their audio receptors. The messenger almost passed out from anxiety.

"I-I-It's Shockwave, sir. T-T-The current m-m-military operations c-c-commander. H-H-He's m-missing and p-presumed d-d-dead, sir. Knock Out has requested t-t-that y-y-you g-g-go to Kaon for an emergency meeting." The mini-con muttered. Straxus thought for a moment. For years he had been fighting for absolute power over the Decepticons, and when Megatron disappeared. he had hoped to take the throne, but Shockwave was elected by Megatron to lead instead. With Shockwave missing, he saw an opportunity he couldn't miss out on.

"Hmm. Ready my private shuttle, worm!" Straxus bellowed. "I think it's time to pay Kaon a little visit." The mini-con nodded and rushed out of the throne room as fast as he could, not wanting to incur his master's wrath. Little did anyone in the throne room know, a small yellow space ship had hid behind one of the many columns in the room, unseen by Straxus or the fembots, and it had recorded Straxus' conversation.

 _Thousands of miles away, in Autobot City_

"He did what?!" Ultra Magnus shouted as he clenched his fist and tightened his grip on his hammer. Magnus as standing outside of the security office.

"He must've stolen a ship and ran off." said Hoist. Hoist was an average sized Autobot. He wire a black helmet with a yellow visor and a face mask. He was colored green and orange, and he had tire kibble on his shoulders. He transformed into a cybertronic tow truck. "When I found Trailbreaker, he was out cold. I noticed that the security system had been disabled, and Gears told me that a ship was missing. Red Alert and I searched all over the city for potential culprits, but everyone was accounted for, accept the Dinobots." Hoist said. Magnus put his hand on his chin and thought to himself.

"That does sound a lot like the Dinobots." said Kup, who was standing next to Ultra Magnus. Kup was colored an aged aquamarine, similar to Maccadam. He was old and rusty, and transformed into a cybertronic pick up truck. "When they don't get their way, they up and leave and throw temper tantrums. Reminds me of the time on the planet Thrull..." Kup began as he removed his cy-gar from his mouth and puffed out a cloud of smoke.

"Now's not the time for stories, Kup." Ultra Magnus said. "Without the Dinobots, the Autobot Commonwealth is at a distinct tactical disadvantage, which is something we cannot afford. Hoist, repair Trailbreaker, and tell the rest of High Command that we need to have an emergency meeting." Hoist nodded, and he lifted Trailbreaker up, and carried him away. Ultra Magnus walked down the hall and towards the elevator, and Kup followed.

"So lad, what are ya gonna do now?" Kup asked.

"I'm going to check with Blaster to see how our 'secret agent' is doing." Magnus replied. Magnus opened the elevator door and walked inside. He ascended all the way to the communication tower, were Blaster was. Blaster was busy watching the monitor. Blaster spent most of his time here, recording his podcasts and listening to music that he pirated from different frequencies. Ultra Magnus walked into the room Blaster was in.

"Blaster, any word from our secret agent?" Ultra Magnus asked?

"Yep!" Blaster exclaimed. Blaster was quite loud and outspoken. "He sent us an encrypted message through subspace." Subspace was a software program created by Autobot computer scientist Chromedome. It directed traffic through a large overlay network to prevent any communiques from being detected. Only a select few Autobots used it. "I've been decrypting his message all morning. He says that Shockwave has gone missing, and that the Decepticon Conclave have called an emergency meeting in Kaon. He says that Lord High Governor Straxus will also be attending this meeting as well.

Ultra Magnus stroked his chin, deep in thought. His faceplate soon lit up as he got a sudden realization. "Stracus governs Polyhex, which is home to the Decepticons ten deadliest killers. If we can find a way to take down those killers before Straxus returns to his city, then that could give the Autobots a much needed advantage." Magnus said. "Thank you, Blaster." Magnus said as he turned and left the communications tower. Blaster nodded and sat back down, where he went back to listen to his tunes.


End file.
